Editorial: Phil Lesh deserves a fair shake in Fairfax

PHIL LESH and his proposal to build a music barn in Fairfax didn't deserve the treatment it got from those who posted signs in his Ross neighborhood, urging him to abandon his plan.

The Grateful Dead bass player asked the Fairfax Town Council to postpone the first scheduled meeting on his plan to build Terrapin Crossroads, a 8,250-square-foot music venue on a Sir Francis Drake Boulevard lot now occupied by a closed gas station.

Besides the signs, unsigned fliers criticizing Lesh's plan were left on cars parked at St. Rita Church for a funeral there.

That's pretty low.

Lesh's proposal has drawn praise, interest and criticism from local residents, but the anonymous posting of signs in his neighborhood was aimed at cutting off any public discussion and debate over the merits of his plan.

"We didn't want to start off this way," said Lesh's wife, Jill. "There are lots of other places we could go. We just really like Fairfax. We thought we could do some things that would benefit the town."

Lesh, a former longtime Fairfax resident, deserves a chance to present his proposal and residents deserve the opportunity to hear him and to ask questions. He's not hiding — unlike the cowardly hit-and-run sign posters.

His plan got a fair airing at Thursday night's forum.

These days, it seems that people are quick to oppose any change without first giving thought to the possible benefits.

The outspoken opposition by some neighbors to plans to allow a professional baseball team play at San Rafael's Albert Park baseball field is another example. The neighbors there aren't hiding behind unsigned fliers, but they also are giving little consideration to the possible benefits. The excitement of bringing a minor league team to San Rafael and much-needed repairs and improvements to the city's field are among them.

Instead, critics complain about evening noise, potential parking problems, drunken fans and the commercialization of a city park, despite the team's plan to address those and other concerns.

The city, which has held several public meetings on the plan, intends to conduct a study of noise, security, traffic and parking issues.

That's further than Lesh got. Apparently that's fine with those who posted the signs and fliers. They would rather sabotage the proper political process and try to intimidate Lesh into giving up.

That's just wrong.

Terrapin Crossroads would provide a 500-seat venue for music performances that Lesh also plans to make available for community events and school performances.

That sounds pretty good to us.

Jill Lesh is probably right — many communities would welcome their proposal.

Sometimes, it seem Marin has more than its share of CAVE people — Citizens Against Virtually Everything. They have taken NIMBYism to a new level.

Marin residents have a longstanding reputation for being careful about growth and change. But most often, people support a wide-open process, where concerns can be raised, answered and debated before a decision is made. They may or may not like that decision, but they had their chance to voice their opinions.

Those who posted the signs and fliers opposing Terrapin Crossroads want to deny Fairfax residents — and Phil Lesh — a fair and open process.